on our broadcast tonight, the fight on the campaign trail, and the face-off coming tomorrow night. also this evening, what mitt romney said about abortion that sure sounds like a change. what really happened the night our ambassador and those other americans were killed in benghazi, libya, and has the story really changed again? race matters, a basic question here, is affirmative action keeping qualified white kids out of the college of their choice? that is what the supreme court took up today. and a very bad day for lance armstrong, today, a mountain of evidence was released against him, including lab results, interviews with other teammates, and alleged doping along the lines of an organized crime ring. and making a difference, tonight, logging miles in the air to save innocent lives. nightly news begins now.

good evening, while millions of americans are looking forward to the biden/ryan debate tomorrow night as the next big television event, the top of the world, the speech, the travels continue, mitt romney is trying to take advantage of a bounce coming off the last debate. but it is something he said on the subject of abortion that is getting a lot of attention today and tonight. it is where we begin with peter alexander who is traveling with the ryan campaign, in sidney, ohio. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian, mitt romney traveled many miles on his campaign bus, making three stops trying to build on his momentum from last week and put his campaign in full swing. on the campaign trail, mitt romney stopped in mt. vernon, a

manufacturing plant in a must-win state, owned by someone who has something in common with his wife, ann. >> they are both breast cancer survivors. >> reporter: the romney campaign hopes this is a sign of a trend, the polls surge showing that the trend is higher among women voters. on monday, he seemed to soften his position on abortion. during an interview with the des moines register >> there is no legislation on abortion that i'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda. >> reporter: the obama campaign jumped on the comment, writing, we know where he stands on a woman's right to choose, pointing to his last comments made in 2007. >> so i would like to see roe v wade overturned, and allow the states and the elected representatives and the people themselves have the ability to put in place the legislation. today in ohio, romney was

pressed to clarify >> i think i said time and again, i'm a pro life candidate and will be a pro life president. >> reporter: meanwhile, president obama talked about his lackluster performance. >> it is fair to say i was too polite. >> reporter: bill clinton mocked romney in las vegas monday. >> i had a different reaction to the first debate than a lot of people did. i mean, i thought wow. here is old moderate mitt. where you been, boy? i don't have that tax plan i had for the last two years. you going to believe me or your lying eyes here now, come on. but the focus now, tomorrow's vice presidential showdown >> reporter: but 69-year-old joe biden, and paul ryan, younger, with no experience in such a debate, recalling differences in the matchup. they recalled sarah palin in the 2008 prep. >> instead of it being risky that joe biden is more seasoned and paul ryan is younger, they

both have strengths that they bring to this conversation. >> reporter: and paul ryan arrived in kentucky late this evening, brian, greeted by his wife and mother and an enthusiastic crowd. his opponent, vp biden, will arrive there after resting up in his own bed in delaware. and peter alexander starting us off today, our political director and chief white house correspondent, chuck todd is with us from the site of tomorrow night's debate in danville, kentucky, and chuck, set the scene tonight, the advance buzz, this has been called an epic generational debate, of course it takes on more importance given the first debate at the top of the ticket. >> reporter: well, the college here, centre college, they call it the thrill in deville, this is the second time they hosted a presidential debate, they hosted cheney versus lieberman but you're right, there is a lot

more pressure on joe biden to perform. and he is sort of walking this line. i talked to aides that say yes, he will be more aggressive than the question. that is a fact. but the question is, is he too aggressive? because we mentioned the generational gap, because a lot of the people view this as more as a visual. does this person look like he is ready to be president? and that is paul ryan's challenge, he is youthful, compared to joe biden. and he was not helped yesterday. mitt romney says he was not sure if paul ryan had had a debate, maybe back in high school. you don't want to bring up the phrase "high school" when you want to look presidential? >> all right, chuck todd, who will be part of our team during the live coverage of the debate tomorrow, 9 eastern time, 6:00 on the west coast here on this nbc station. today, in washington, a lot of republicans in congress had a lot of questions about the obama mission, about the night in

benghazi, when a sudden and ferocious attack took the lives of our u.s. ambassador, and at the american consulate there, along with three other americans. our report tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. >> reporter: sparking the confrontation, the two security officers from the consulate who said the requests were either turned down or ignored. >> we were fighting a losing battle. we couldn't even keep what we had. we were not allowed to keep what we had. >> it was very clear we were not going to get resources until the aftermath of the incident. >> reporter: republicans accused them of lying regarding the protests over an anti-muslim video. >> there was no protest, and cameras reveal that. >> this was never about a video's it was never spontaneous, it was terror, i want to know why we were lied to.

>> reporter: this after the comments from u.s. ambassador, susan rice, days after the attack. >> the current assessment, what happened in benghazi, was initially a spontaneous reaction to what happened in cairo. >> reporter: in fact, they acknowledged there never was a protest, all was quiet until at night, when all hell broke loose, with dozens breaking through. they rushed to christopher stevens's bunker, they started the fire, unable to see or breathe through heavy smoke, the ambassador and one bodyguard tried to get out through a bathroom window. the agent got out, then lost stevens in the thick, black smoke, his body turned up later. they identified him only hours

i had not seen such an attack, nor in my diplomatic time >> reporter: today, the white house acknowledges mistakes. >> there is no question when four american personnel are killed in an attack on the diplomatic security, that the facility was not adequate >> reporter: mitt romney mentioned a conversation with glenn doherty, one of the former navy s.e.a.l.s killed in the attack. >> i met some wonderful people, one a former navy s.e.a.l. >> reporter: later, the campaign said he wouldn't mention it again. glen doherty's mother said he shouldn't make that a part of the political agenda. tonight, they accused them of misleading, and demanded straight answers, the white house is trying to find answers with both the state department and the review board, now both investigating what went wrong. >> andrea mitchell, thank you. and the supreme court today takes on a question of race, and the question, has affirmative action run its course?

the justice department is looking into the case, deciding whether or not they can take racial background into account as colleges decide who to admit. our justice correspondent, pete williams with more. >> reporter: brian, 30 years ago, in a case called bachi, the supreme court said that a college can take a person's race into account when providing admissions, because it provides better diversity. now the question seems to be, how much diversity is enough? like nearly all american colleges, the university of texas at austin tries for racial diversity, but the way they did it was challenged by a senior, abby fisher. >> the race should not be considered. >> reporter: she says that affirmative action kept her out. >> there were people with lower grades who were not in the same courses. the only difference between us was the

color of our skin. >> reporter: she says the state law that guarantees the top 10% of graduates makes the university racially diverse enough. 29% hispanic, 6% black. but the university says that considering race is one factor in making sure they admit enough with diversity. >> what is important is that they have the ability to see that not all are the same, regardless of their ethnic economic background. >> reporter: the supreme court ruled nine years ago that they can consider race to get a critical mass of students. a decision written by sandra day o'connor. today, they seemed to find it too vague? what is the local end? when will i know that you have reached a critical mass? one justice, does it vary from group to group or state to state? the lawyer from the university of texas says the school looks at all of the student's

accomplishments. we want minorities from different backgrounds, he said. but that prompted justice kennedy, likely the critical vote, so what you're saying is that race counts above all. opponents of the affirmative action hope they strike it down, judging from the arguments today, they will scale it back possibly. >> pete williams for us tonight, in washington, thank you. and for years, lance armstrong insisted he never cheated or doped as he won title after title in his sport. recently he stopped fighting and said he would no longer fight the charges by the u.s. anti-doping agency. and now, tonight, they have unveiled their case against him. our senior investigator correspondent lisa myers has a look at the body of evidence. >> reporter: banned for life and stripped of his tour de france victories, there he was this past two weekends the man once known for his stunning

achievements, competing in the race, with his daughters alongside. today, the u.s. anti-doping agency laid out their case, a thousand pages of what they call overwhelming evidence, undeniable evidence of cheating, by a team who received tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and a quest to win at all costs >> the u.s. postal services pro cycling team, including lance armstrong ran the most sophisticated, successful drug program that we've ever seen. >> reporter: in all, 11 teammates broke the code of silence, testifying against armstrong, even one who armstrong said was like a brother. he said i'm aware he used blood trans fusions in 2005 and 2001, he said. he also said that armstrong twice gave him a banned steroid. another teammate, in 2002, said that armstrong told me if i wanted to continue to ride for the postal service team i would

have to follow the doping program to the letter. the report also cites scientific tests from armstrong's blood from races in 2009 and 2010. the results were consistent with doping. an expert said the likelihood of this occurring naturally was less than one in a million. >> this is the most extensive in the doping report that i have ever seen. >> reporter: armstrong's lawyer calls the report a hatchet job. >> everybody knows he was the best, and everybody knows he won because he was the best. >> reporter: so far, arm strong's work to fight cancer, the donations have been more in the last two months and the report says donors still believe in his leadership. lisa myers, nbc washington. and the story the world is reacting to, the 14-year-old girl who was a taliban assassination target. and up next, good news to

report, many giving so much in a cause they so deeply believe in.

we have an update tonight on a story that is causing outrage around the world. we heard from a number of you last night after we first told you about a 14-year-old girl who fought for the rights of young girls to be educated and independent. now, she is fighting for her life after an attempt on her life by a team of taliban gunmen.

tonight, the outcry over that attack is growing. we get the very latest from nbc. >> malala yousufzai remains in critical condition in the hospital, recovering from emergency surgery to remove a bullet from her neck. a team of seven doctors is working on her case, including specialists called in from retirement. and a government plane is on stand by to carry her overseas for treatment, although she is too unstable to move. today, the chief of surgery paid a visit to her bedside, and vowed to fight terrorism no matter the costs. while malala yousufzai lies in bed, many pray for her recovery. some schools were closed in protests. many demonstrate against the

taliban. the shooting has brought new focus to malala situation, the fight for education. >> there can be nothing more cowardly. her story has captured the world's attention. >> yesterday's attack reminds us of the challenge the girls face, whether it is poverty or marginalization, or even violence, just for speaking out for basic rights. >> reporter: malala yousufzai may become a combined force. they vow to attack her again if she recovers. >> they have added her father to the hit list. doctors say she has shown some improvement in the next day but that the next 24 hours will be critical. before they can tell if the gunmen still at large have permanently silenced the courage of a 14-year-old girl. nbc news, kabul. and up next, the warning about car air bags that may not work, the moment they're truly needed.

row sail y a 34-year-old woms she is dying of leukemia claims that her dream trip to hawaii turned into a kind of tsa nightmare when she says agents at seattle, tacoma airport, insisted an a full body patdown that exposed medical tubes and bandages and broke open a bag containing saline solution, she says her request for a private screening was denied as unnecessary. for its part, the tsa says nobody violated her rights, and a test showed that the screeners followed what they call normal policy and didn't break open the saline bag. and as we warned, officials say that people who had car repairs, if you paid any cut-rate price for air bags you may have received a fake that could quite literally blow up in your face. it is exactly what happened during a videotape test when a counterfeit air bag exploded.

the feds say if you suspect you may have one of these you should take your car to an authorized dealer, and have it inspected. and alex karras has died, and many remember him as the cross-over actor in the nfl. he was a tough as nails pro lineman for the lions. and his career scanned all the way from 1958 to 1970. he went on the show, webster, and played on the famous show, blazing saddles. he fought heart disease and kidney disease, and was part of a huge lawsuit against the nfl over head injuries. alex karras, 77 years old. up next tonight, making a difference by giving some loveable animals a real second chance.

finally here tonight, the story of a rescue operation involving brave aviation fliers and real sacrifice, and it has nothing to do with terrorism or warfare or hostile territory. it has everything to do with finding good homes for animals

who are not facing any life at all inside a shelter. nbc's kerry sanders has more on the making a difference report. today it is marianna, florida. tomorrow, another rural american town. but always, there are dogs. adorable puppies, rescued from so-called kill shelters. with no home and no one locally willing to adopt, these wonderful canines would be put to death were it not for a team of aviators who collect unwanted animals with those who want a dog. the paws organization finds the animals, loads them up, and then it is off. piloting this load of puppies to lakeland, florida, they have the puppies. >> just like a baby in the car.

>> reporter: less than two hours in the air, and the dogs are back on the ground. a last-minute flight that jeff says was the only option. >> you're going to get a home quick. >> all of these dogs would have been put down if we had not taken them out. >> reporter: and so you rescued? >> with today's transport, over 1900. >> reporter: with today's co-pilot, it is a dog, but sometimes, the mission grows. >> i have done the pigs, the falcons, the rabbits, snakes, turtles. >> reporter: so you're all species airways? >> that is it, if it sits, if it flies, that is it. pilots and paws is an organization that wants to go out of business. the problem is, tomorrow, they know they will be needed again >> no problem. >> a happy ending. >> the happy ending and the new beginning. >> here we go. >> this is day one of a new life. >> reporter: a doggy underground in our nation's airways, kerry sanders, lakeland, florida. >> that is our broadcast tonight. thank you for joining us, i'm brian williams, we hope to see

you back here tomorrow night. good evening. "nbc bay area news" starts now. good wednesday evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. we begin with a developing weather story. we want to show you this hail, lots of it right there out of gilroy this afternoon. that given to us by danielle. this afternoon lots of this hail, which is considered pretty unusual for this area, and with it came thunder and lightning creating potentially a dangerous weather situation. we want to bring in our chief meteorologist in the nbc bay area weather center who is tracking the storm. pretty odd to have that, and we've seen a